Your World Tonight - Warning labels for alcohol, Liberals want a new leader, votes for a U.S. speaker, and more

Episode Date: January 3, 2025

The U.S. Surgeon General says alcoholic drinks should come with a warning label about the risk they carry of causing cancer. Vivek Murthy also wants the guidelines on alcohol consumption limits reassessed. He says people need to be better informed before buying the drinks so they can weigh the cancer risk. His proposal for a label requires an approval from the U.S. Congress.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is back in Ottawa and pressure is mounting for him to go. He made a brief public appearance to sign a book of condolences for former U.S. presidentJimmy Carter, who died days ago, but he didn’t say anything.And: U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson was reelected to the top job. But only by a hair. He was able to flip two holdouts and won reelection with the minimum number of votes needed: 218.Also: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol avoided arrest on Friday after an almost six-hour standoff between investigators trying to detain him and presidential guards. He is the first sitting president in South Korea to have an arrest warrant issued for him. He is under criminal investigation for insurrection for his short-lived martial law decree.Plus: The latest on the New Orleans attack, and is Siri listening in on your conversations?

My name is Graham Isidor. I have a progressive eye disease called keratoconus. Unmaying I'm losing my vision has been hard, but explaining it to other people has been harder. Lately, I've been trying to talk about it. Short Sighted is an attempt to explain what vision loss feels like by exploring how it sounds. By sharing my story, we get into all the things you don't see

about hidden disabilities. Short Sighted, from CBC's Personally, available now. This is a CBC Podcast. It might make people stop and, you know, take a second thought about it. So, just like cigarettes, it's not going to stop everybody from smoking. It's not going to stop everybody from smoking. It's not going to stop everybody from drinking. There's a strong link between alcohol and cancer, and the top doctor in the United States would like to see warning labels on alcoholic drinks, if not to stop people from drinking, at least to make them think about what risks they're mixing in with that gin and tonic. Welcome to Your World Tonight. It's Friday, January 3rd, just before 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

I'm Julianne Hazelwood. Also on the podcast... There's a lot of tension here, and I think that that's partially why the MPs would like to hear from Mr. Trudeau and have him arrive at a decision. Will he stay or will he go? The question of Justin Trudeau's future as prime minister keeps bubbling

away under the surface. And the less he says, the more speculation builds. It is a sobering message that may lead some people to extend their dry January. The U.S. Surgeon General says the evidence connecting alcohol and killer cancers is growing. And drinking should come with the same warning as smoking cigarettes. Sam Sampson has the details. This is a pear and cardamom horchata. In Joanne Pierce's bar, every drink is dry. She founded Spilt Zero Proof, Alberta's first mocktail bar in Edmonton.

It's been really fascinating to watch the industry change, to watch people come around to the idea that you don't have to have a problem. There doesn't have to be anything wrong with you to want to quit drinking. A lot of people are choosing to quit for lifestyle reasons because it makes them feel better. The U.S. Surgeon General's latest report may push others to do the same. America's chief medical doctor and health educator, Vivek Murthy, is pushing for cancer warnings on alcoholic drinks, meaning every can, bottle, and mickey would have a label noting the cancer risk associated with drinking, something he says hasn't sunk in yet for the general public, despite mountains of evidence.

The report states drinking alcohol increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer. Drinking is also the third leading cause of preventable cancer in the U.S. behind tobacco and obesity. Alcohol consumers are largely unaware that alcohol causes cancer. Erin Hoban is a senior scientist at Public Health Ontario. She ran a real-world experiment back in 2017 adding cancer labels to drink containers in the Yukon. Alcohol sales went down. Now that study is listed in the Surgeon General's report as evidence the labels work.

Providing this information to consumers makes them report that they would think more about the health risks from consuming alcohol and potentially even cut back. But Canada still hasn't adjusted its labels on alcohol. Senator Patrick Brazeau, who's also a recovering alcoholic, introduced a bill to make change happen, but it stalled. All Canadians have the right to consume alcohol. They also have the right to be made aware of its negative impacts. The U.S. Surgeon General also wants to reassess alcohol intake limits with these cancer risks in mind. Last year, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction did just that.

The group, which advises Health Canada, suggested two or fewer drinks a week, max. The federal government has yet to change its official advice. Organizations representing Canada's alcohol industry have not responded to CBC News' requests for comment. As the U.S. Surgeon General's recommendations start conversations across North America, they do still hinge on the approval of Congress. But scientists say the risks persist, laws or not.

Sam Sampson, CBC News, Edmonton. Justin Trudeau returned to work in the nation's capital today after his holiday break. He worked but he didn't speak, at least not publicly. He's been very quiet in the past few weeks about his political future. Others in his party have not. David Thurton has the latest developments from Ottawa. The first public appearance by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of 2025. His motorcade arriving at the American embassy today to sign the book of condolence for the late U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Trudeau scribbled a lengthy note, then rose and quickly left saying nothing. Trudeau is leaving the Liberal Party and indeed the country in continued suspense. He's back at work, the same day the heads of his regional caucuses

are meeting virtually to discuss his future. What hopefully comes of it is a very respectful message to the leader that it is time for the party to be pragmatic and for him to step down. Ken Hardy, a Liberal MP from Surrey, B.C., hopes the caucus chairs outline a transition plan for the party to be pragmatic and for him to step down. Ken Hardy, a Liberal MP from Surrey, BC, hopes the caucus chairs outline a transition plan for the Prime Minister. Members of the Atlantic, Quebec and Ontario caucuses have already said they want Trudeau to leave. The caucus chairs, in my view, should provide some advice

as to the best way forward. And so, of course, my advice would be prorogue, resign, and then have a leadership process that puts us in a solid position to govern the country and look after our relationship with the United States. The calls for Trudeau to step down accelerated in mid-December after the explosive resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. Now another blow. Toronto Liberal and former Cabinet Minister Marco Mendocino

announce he will not be running again. Despite all this, former Liberal Ministerial staffer Greg McEachran is not convinced Trudeau will leave. I'm not sure that he will. If you're asking me if I think he should, I think he should. This is not trending in a good way for him. The NDP and Conservatives are promising to bring down the government no matter what. Conservative leader Pierre Pauliev telling podcaster Jordan Peterson he'll topple the Liberals even while they're in the middle of changing leaders.

And by the way, you know, the Liberal media is all saying, well, surely you wouldn't want to trigger an election during the liberal leadership race. Excuse me, the Canadian people are not obliged, 41 million people are not obliged to wait around while this party sorts out its shit. This is the reality confronting Trudeau. An emboldened opposition riding high in public opinion polls, his own party support reaching historic lows, and a country watching his every move, wondering if he will stay or go. The Trudeau Watch continues. David Thurton, CBC News, Ottawa. Coming right up, Donald Trump's choice for Speaker of the House has won re-election

barely. The former president of South Korea is doing his best to escape being charged. And we hear from locals in New Orleans trying to get back to some kind of normal after the attack on New Year's Day. Mike Johnson will return as U.S. Speaker of the House, but only after a traumatic day on Capitol Hill. As Katie Simpson reports from Washington, Republicans are now in a position to implement Donald Trump's agenda and quickly. Republicans stood in the House chamber clapping and cheering for their re-elected speaker Mike Johnson, a rare moment of unity and cooperation among members of a party prone to shows of defiance and independence. The Louisiana lawmaker was able to win the gavel in the first round of voting, sparing Republicans the embarrassment of another internal battle to lead the House.

Johnson vowing to work quickly to implement Donald Trump's agenda, citing his election win as a mandate for change. A political moment in our modern history, a groundswell of Americans from every state, race, and religion who now demand that we put the interests of Americans first again. And we will. And we will. The outcome was anything but certain for Johnson. The razor-thin Republican majority meant he could only afford to lose one vote from his own party.

Alford. Mike Johnson. Johnson. Allen. The Honorable Mike Johnson. Johnson. Allen. The Honorable Mike Johnson. Johnson. As the names of members of Congress were read aloud, Johnson ran into three challengers. Massey.

Tom Emmer. Emmer. The loudest opponent, Thomas Massey of Kentucky, who before the vote was a hard no. You can pull all my fingernails out. You can shove bamboo up in them. You can start cutting off my fingers. I am not voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow. And you can take that to the bank.

Two other challengers emerged, Keith Self of Texas and Robert Norman of South Carolina, while six other conservative Republicans remained silent. Biggs of Arizona. Biggs of Arizona. Biggs of Arizona. Their frustration largely centered around Johnson's willingness to pass expansive spending bills with the help of Democrats, like the one to keep the government open passed just before Christmas. But as the roll call was about to finish,

all six silent Conservatives fell into line. Then Trump reportedly helped, calling and convincing Self and Norman to back Johnson, giving him the last two votes he needed. The 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Honorable Mike Johnson. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffrey said Democrats are willing to work with Republicans on areas of common ground, including lowering the cost of living. The American people need us as their elected representatives in this season to put down our partisan swords and pick up bipartisan plowshares.

Johnson's priority is Trump's agenda. And with Republicans controlling the White House, the House and the Senate, they can work together and quickly to bring about the changes they want to see. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. A sentencing date has been set in Donald Trump's New York hush money case. The U.S. president-elect will be sentenced next Friday, just over a week before he's sworn back into the White House. While Trump will become the first U.S. president to take office as a convicted felon, the judge in the case is signaling he'll receive a conditional sentence and avoid any jail time. Trump was convicted in May of falsifying business records in an effort to hide hush money payments given to a former adult film star.

It's already Saturday morning in South Korea where another day of political turmoil is in the offing. An arrest warrant has been issued for the country's president, but the first attempt to take him into custody on Friday turned into a tense standoff. And with both supporters and opponents of the embattled leader on hand, it could have easily turned ugly. Erin Collins reports. Before dawn, thousands of South Korean voices speaking, even singing, as one. Demanding the arrest of President Yun Suk-yeol. More than 100 police officers took to the streets today too, marching to Yun's official residence with a warrant to detain their president for his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

Those officers met along the way by a crowd of Yun's supporters, chanting Stop the Steal, the phrase made famous by Donald Trump. The crowd waving South Korean and American flags too. The anti-corruption police met by Yun's personal security forces as well. More than 200 soldiers and bodyguards outnumbering the police, forcing them to retreat after a nearly six-hour-long standoff. The drama playing out on the streets of South Korea, a physical manifestation of a country facing political gridlock. President Yoon impeached last month. His powers suspended. the push to have him removed ongoing.

There seems to be a consensus that South Korean President Yoon Seok-kyo's attempt at martial law was wrong. Dooyon Kim is an analyst with the Center for a New American Security. Kim says that the question South Koreans are divided on is what to do now. There seems to be consensus that he needs to be held accountable. But right now, again, it's the battle of how to hold him accountable and what processes, what legal processes, which investigative processes to do that under. Those monitoring the world's democracies focused on South Korea. What we're seeing now is a potential international crisis of democracy. Errol Mendez teaches international law at the University of Ottawa. Mendez says the use of phrases like stop the steal in South Korea,

a sign that authoritarian ideas are spreading. Now, where on earth did we hear that before? That was generally sexed all over again. What we are seeing now, yet again, is a form of autocracy and potential contagion, which can spread from one major democracy to another. What will eventually unfold in South Korea, far from clear. The warrant for President Yun's arrest valid until Monday. Authorities may try again to arrest their president this weekend. They may not. Another unknown in a country with a very hazy political future. Aaron Collins, CBC News, Calgary. In New Orleans, the bustle of Bourbon Street is back.

Thousands of people returned to the famous Party Street overnight. Just two days after a terror attack claimed 14 lives and injured dozens more. And while life there is returning to normal, many are still grieving. Katie Nicholson has more from New Orleans. Even at 9 a.m., music blasts along Bourbon Street as beer trucks rumble down the road to restock the bars, which opened last night for the first time since the New Year's Day terror attack. Thousands filled the streets and its legendary bars, carousing past news crews and makeshift memorials to the 14 victims who died.

Behind the counter at St. Pat's Irish Coffee House, Michael McLaurin was horrified by the attack, but unbowed by it. You can never live in fear. That's always my motto. You know, the French Quarter is like kind of a big pirate city. And he's critical more wasn't done to shore up the security around the street on New Year's Eve, including the use of bollards,

those big metal and concrete posts designed to prevent vehicle attacks. Well, of course, you know, there could have been barriers, of course, you know, with all the reconstruction, with everything, you know, that should have been a number one priority. The FBI again appealed to the public to come forward with information about the suspect, 42-year-old Shamsud Dean Jabbar, and released new images of the Texan in New Orleans. This investigation's focus now almost squarely in Houston as police try to figure out how the army vet became radicalized enough

to commit an act of terror in the name of ISIS. A shock to those who served with him, like Trevor Neal. I was absolutely floored. I buckled up and I couldn't talk for 20 or 30 seconds. I was just, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. It's been shocking too to some how quickly Bourbon Street reopened a little more than 24 hours after the attack. We're not going to do it. That's not who we are. You do not shut us down. That's an oral spirit.

We do not bow down to nobody, nowhere, no time. Jennifer Jones, known in New Orleans as the Dancing Lady, festooned in bright, colorful feathers, says joy and grief, life and death, are tightly intertwined in the culture of this city. Because we are not to grieve death, we are to celebrate death. We are to show your life was not in vain. It's also baked into their history, says resident Scott Sheenville.

20 years ago, Katrina, how fast we got the city back open within a couple months after, you know, not necessarily here, but most of the city was 8 feet underwater. We want the city to get back to what 99% of it is known for, which is letting the good times roll. But there will be more somber moments to come, with vigils planned tomorrow and a visit from President Joe Biden Monday to grieve with the families.

Katie Nicholson, CBC News, New Orleans. Apple has agreed to a multi-million dollar payout over allegations Siri has been snooping. The tech giant is accused of using its virtual assistant to record private conversations so it could sell the data to advertisers. Phil Bleschanak has more on the lawsuit and what it means for Apple users. Hey Siri, read my schedule. An Apple ad featuring Dwayne The Rock Johnson suggests his iPhone's virtual assistant Siri helped with his Hollywood stardom. That sounds like a challenge. I feel a little bit creeped out.

Teenager Samantha Haneo says Siri may be behind some strange moments. When I'm talking to my friends about something on a call, sometimes on my feed, on Pinterest, on Instagram, on every social media feed, it gives me whatever the idea was. Cybersecurity expert Ritesh Kotech says Siri and other virtual assistants have access to your microphone, waiting to hear wake words such as, hey Siri, OK Google, or hey Alexa. I think it's happened to all of us where we've had a conversation and we've had targeted ads and just wondered, like, is our device actually listening to us when it's off. A five-year-long class action lawsuit accused Apple of allowing its virtual assistant to eavesdrop on users for more than a decade. The suit also alleges some of the recordings were then shared with third parties to sell their products to users. If

accepted by a California judge, the company will pay out $95 million U.S. Those eligible could get $20 per device, up to a limit of five Siri-enabled Apple devices. Kotex says it's a warning no matter what brand phone you use to check your device's virtual assistant settings. Is it on by default and then I have to physically go and turn it off when it should be off by default, where users then go and turn it on if they want it. He also suggests users read their terms of service for what privacy they may be giving up for the sake of convenience. Michael Peerless specializes in class action litigation. He says while payouts are for U.S. customers only, he predicts a similar lawsuit here in the future. There are a lot of people using Siri devices.

So if they're doing it for one person, they're doing it with everyone. Although Apple is offering the settlement to tens of millions of customers, Peerless says the company denies any wrongdoing. They haven't admitted liability. They never do. They are paying quite a lot of money, though, which makes you think they probably did something wrong. Hey, Siri.

Apple's net income was $94 billion last fiscal year. A similar lawsuit on behalf of users of Google's voice assistant is pending, represented by the same law firms as the Apple case. Philip LeShannock, CBC News, Toronto. An Acadian church in Nova Scotia built more than a century ago is facing a date with the wrecking ball. The Église Sainte-Marie stands almost 60 meters tall. Impressive, but damaged in need of expensive repairs. Meaning a piece of Acadian history may soon be gone, unless the prayers and plans of two local women come through.

Sabrina Fabian has the story. When I heard that it was an imminent danger, I felt compelled to act. Gabrielle Bardel, one of two women fighting to save the imposing Église Sainte-Marie, believed to be the tallest wooden church in North America, towering above the small Acadian community of Clare, Nova Scotia. When anyone drives up to Church Point, you are confronted with this structure that is just jaw-dropping. Built in 1905, Bardel and historian Stéphanie Saint-Pierre

say it represents the power and the story of the area's Acadian people. This church was built by the community. We know that about 1,500 people volunteer their time. Saint-Pierre and Bardel are professors at the nearby Université Saint-Anne. The two women joined forces in early December to save the deconsecrated church after finding out it is slated for demolition. But they're bringing renewed energy and fresh ideas to the effort, including fundraising and tapping into provincial and federal heritage programs.

There's a lot of really creative opportunities for funding that haven't necessarily been explored. Over the past few weeks, we've had a chance to talk with public administrators in different cities around the country, as well as other private groups about interesting funding options. Sainte-Marie is owned by the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth, which has been trying to sell it for five years. But the former church is in desperate need of repairs. A leaky roof and broken windows are the noticeable damage.

What lies behind the walls is unknown. David O'Carroll is the property and building manager for the Archdiocese. We can't just leave it continually decay indefinitely. If we can't find some other owner for the church, it will have to be demolished. The unique features of the church add to its challenges. It's close to 200 feet tall at the spire. The main body of the church is close to 100 feet tall, 100 feet high.

So to get up there to do any work, the size is also the problem. O'Carroll estimates it will cost $8 million to repair it, a figure the women want confirmed through a specialized engineering report. Neither Bardel nor Saint-Pierre is Acadian, but both recognize the importance of the building. When it comes to minority groups such as Francophones outside of Quebec and Acadians, they don't have a lot of built history or built heritage that has been really collectively built. The two women have been given six months by the Archdiocese to come up with a plan to repair Sainte-Marie and hopefully purchase it. If they're successful, that's when the real work will begin.

Sabrina Fabian, CBC News, Clare, Nova Scotia. Finally, meet Flynn Sturck, nine years old, who's just fallen in love with hockey. Just because it seemed fun and I wanted to learn to skate. Flynn was born and raised in Australia, never played hockey, barely been on skates. But recently his family decided to take an extended vacation on Prince Edward Island. Flynn went to every shinny game and open skate he could and then tried out for the local team, the North River Flames. His mom, Jenny Sturrock, says he jumped in with both skates. Everyone has embraced us and helped us. So for Flynn, he has been shown nothing but the true Canadian love.

So whenever he had fallen over or accidentally been the person who's been offside, his teammates rush in, give him a pat on the back and say, come on, mate, we've got this, let's get moving. The Sturks are heading back down under soon. Flynn wanted to score a goal before that happens. So at a recent game, his best friends on the team, Jack and Alex, told him to just stand in front of the net. He missed their first pass, but scored on the second. On the bench, they said they're going to help me get a goal.

I was yelling with excitement. I was yelling out in joy, and I was screaming at Alex really loudly. Flynn says he's learned a lot from his crash course in Canadian sport. Above all, he says that anything is possible and he plans to keep playing when he gets home. Thanks for being with us. This has been Your World Tonight for Friday, January 3rd, 2025. I'm Julianne Hazelwood. Take care.